Separable fastener



June 28, 1932. UX 1,864,614

SEPARABLE FASTENER Filed Sept. 16, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 9 /0 BY r51 1%.?

ATTORNEY June 28, 1932. J X

SEPARABLE FASTENER Filed Sept. 16, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ATTORNEY w Patented June 28, 19 3 2. 1

LQcerned under normal. conditions, but which in 16; that when the stringers carrying the inter NOEL J. roux, orvmnAnvILLn, rnnnsynvmmnssrenon 'ro mon-rnsrnm mc,

, ormnnpvrnnn, PENNSYLVANIA, n-conronnrxorr orfnmwnnn" 'snrnnnnnn 'App1icat1on filed September 16, 1929. sem m5. 392,750.-

Separable'fasteners may made with shapes of the interlocking members whlchare desirable so-far as the operation, or closing and. separating of the members is conare not entirelysatisfactory for the reason locking'members areswung out of their common plane and, into a .posltion approaching lo'parallelism the interlocking of the fasteners is rendered uncertain, 1 One of the objects of the present invention is to prevent in a convenient and simple manner the swinging of the interlockmg members an abnormal 1 distance out of their common plane. In carrying forward, this idea it. "is desirable to form the interlocking members of such shape that they may be more readily closed and separated in the normal operation of the device, thus utilizing the possibilities of variation in shape made possible by the locking against excessive turning of the members out of their normal plane. Features and details of the inventionwill appearfrom the speci- 25 fication and claims.

Preferred embodiments of the invention areillustrated in the accompanying drawings as follows Fig. 1 shows a plan view of the fastener as arranged in an ordinary pair of stringers.

Fig. 2 a side elevation of a preferred form of interlocking member.

Fig. 3 a top view of the same.

Fig. 4 a section on the line 44 in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 a side elevation of a modification.

Fig. 6 a view of the same structure slightly deflected.

Fig. 7 a section on the line 77 in Fig. 5. Fig. 8 a further modification.

Fig. .9- a side elevation of an interlockin member of an' alternative construction.

*ig. 10 a plan view of the same structure imposition on stringers.-

11 a top view of ing members shown in Fig. 9.

Fig.' 12 an end view of the same.

Fig. 13 a side elevation of a locking member of an alternative construction.

Fig. 14 a top view-of the membershown in Fig. 13.

one of the interlock- Fig. 15 an end view of the member shown in F1gJ13.

i Fig. 16 a side elevation of a locking memberv of a modified construction.

view of the structure shown Fig.1? a plan Fig. 18 an end vi'ew of the structure'shown I in Fig. 16.

Fig; 19 aside elevationofa-locking member. of an alternative construction.

, Fig. 20 a top view of the-member'shown in Fig. '19.

Fig. 21 an endview of the member shown in Fig. 19. 1

1 marks the strin er, 2 a rib along the stringer, this being 0 ordinary construction,

and 3 the interlocking members. These have jaws 4 enclosinga recess 5, the rib 2 being arranged in the recess and the jaws clamping thes e ribs to'locate the fasteners in spaced relation-along the stringers in the usual man ner. The members 3 have the curved interlocking surfaces-Strand 6," the surfaces 6a being convex and'the. surfaces 6 being concave,

the axial center of the curves of said surfaces being at right angles to the plane of the stringers, as indicated in Fig. 3 of the draw ings' and the interlocking surfaces being also curved with the axial centers of the curves lyin in the plane of the stringers as shown in igpet.v In other words, the interlockin members are curved both crosswise an lengthwise of the fastening members. The

curves of the locking surfaces having their axial centers in alinement with the stringers givin to the. members-their convex and concave orm transversely of the members and tends to lock the fastener when closed against displacement by a movement of one stringer out of the'plane of the'other stringer. Each --member is provided'with a notch 7 into which the rib 2 of the opposing stringer extends, the rib being engaged by forks '8 and'preventing the swinging of the fastener to a: position bringing the stringers into approxiv .mately parallelposition. The locking ofthis back-swinging of the fasteners makes it pos-" sible to use a shape of locking surfaces which more certainly move into and out of position in opening and closing the fastener and assure with greater certainty the maintenance of the lock of the fastener in use.

In Fig. 5 members 9 have jaws 10 for securing the fasteners on the stringer edges. The members are provided with projections 11 and corresponding cavities 12, the projections nesting in the cavities as the fastener is closed. The ends of the members'ext end into, or near enough engagement with the edges of the opposing stringers to prevent a complete swinging of the fasteners to bring one stringer back on the other, the abutting ends engaging the edge of the opposing stringer, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 6,

In Fig. 8 the member 13 is similar to that shown in Fig. 5 with the exception that the end 13a is forked to better assure the locking of the end of the member against the edge of the stringer.

In Figs. 9 to 12 members 14 are provided with jaws 15 for engaging the edges of the stringer. are convex and concave, the axis of these surfaces extending at right angles to the plane of the stringers, the convexsurfaces nesting in the concave surfaces, asfclearly shown in Fig. 10. The convex members are grooved at 18 and the concave members have ribs 19 seating in the grooves 18. The ends of the members are notched at 20 to better enga e the edge of the opposing strin er. The loc ing surfaces of the members w en in engaged position are slightly spaced apart, as clearly shown in Fig. 10, thus giving a limited freedom of movement. This facilitates the closing of the members. A similar spacing may be provided in the other members, such as specifically shown in Fig. 7. s

In the structures shown in Figs. 13, 14 and 15 locking members 21 have clamping jaws 22 and are provided with convex locking surfaces 23 and concave surfaces 24, these surfaces coacting as the members are closed. The convex surfaces are grooved at 25 to receive ribs 26 and the ends of the members are extended at 27 to more surely engage the edge of the opposing stringer so as to lock excessive swinging of the members.

In the structure shown in Figs. 16 to 18, members 28 have clamping jaws 29. They are provided with convex locking surfaces 30 which operate in corresponding concave surfaces 30a, the convex surfaces having ribs 32 operating in similar corresponding grooves shown in dotted lines in the concave surfaces. the edge of an opposing stringer to prevent excessive swinging.

In Figs. 19 and 20 is shown an alternative construction in which members 34 are provided with the usual clamping jaws 35. These have the convex'locking surfaces 36 nesting in the concave surfaces 37. The convex surfaces have a plurality of ribs 38 which extend into corresponding grooves shown in The locking surfaces 16 and 17 Ends 33 are extended to engage dotted lines. The ends 39 are adapted to engage the edge of an opposin stringer to prevent excesslve swinging of t e stringers.

What I claim as new. is

- 1. A separable fastener comprising stringers, and interlocking members secured to the edges of the stringers, each of said members having a forked front edge engaging the edge of the opposing stringer to revent the stringer from swinging out of t e plane of said opposing stringer on an axis formed by the interlocking members.

2. A separable fastener comprising stringers, and interlocking members having curved interlocking surfaces secured to the edges of the stringers, convex on one side and concave on the other and the convex surface of one member nesting in the concave surface of the opposing member, the front edges of each member being forked and engaging the edge of the opposlng stringer to prevent the stringer from swinging out of the plane of said opposing stringer on the interlocking surfaces as an axis.

3. A separable fastener comprising stringers, and interlocking members secured to the edges of the stringers, each member having curved interlocking surfaces, convex longltudinally and transversely of the member on one side and concave on the other, the convex surface of one member nesting in the concave surface of the opposing member, the front edges of each member being forked and engaging the edge of the opposing stringers to prevent the stringer from swinging out of the plane of the opposing stringer with the curved interlocking surfaces as an axis.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set I in 

